Winner: Retail interior (large) of the year 2023. F.O.G Architecture has transformed a courtyard into the new ToSummer store in Beijing, China.

F.O.G. Architecture has turned a courtyard house in Beijing into a flagship store for fragrance brand ToSummer, complete with exposed wooden roof trusses and columns.

The 500-square-metre store occupies a 280-year-old courtyard house that is known in the region.

F.O.G. Architecture skimmed the building to expose its skeleton, featuring triangle-shaped timber roof trusses and a series of wooden columns. The resultant column field became the visual centre of gravity of the space, as well as what defines its outline.

"We used clay brick to clad the interior wall as a contemporary interpretation of the old brickwork in the original building," said F.O.G.

Judges comments: "With online shopping becoming more common it is great to create a physical space which is connected. This project refurbishes a deep urbanistic Chinese structure in Beijing, championing history and preservation."

Studio: F.O.G. Architecture
Project: ToSummer Beijing Guozijian